athbhliain faoi mhaise
The Irish phrase for "Happy New Year" is athbhliain faoi mhaise. If unsure, use athbhliain faoi mhaise. Wiktionary also lists athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise.
Meaning: Happy New Year (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Irish |
|---|
| athbhliain faoi mhaise |
| athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise |
This phrase is used to wish someone a happy new year. You may also see variations like Bliain nua sásta agus sona dhuit! which translates to "A happy and prosperous new year to you!"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase athbhliain faoi mhaise literally means "new year with goodness".
Which one should you use?
athbhliain faoi mhaise is the standard, concise way to say Happy New Year. In contrast, athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise is a more elaborate and traditional blessing that translates more closely to "a new year of luck and goodness".
Did you know?
- Because Irish is a Celtic language, the word faoi shares an ancient ancestor with the Greek word hupó, which also means 'under'.
- In the phrase athbhliain faoi mhaise, the word faoi literally means 'under' or 'beneath' in a physical sense. To wish someone a new year 'under' goodness is a way of saying it is surrounded by or characterized by it.
Examples in context
- Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit! Gach rath ar an mbliain atá romhainn.Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best for the coming year.
- Go dtugann an bhliain nua áthas, rath, agus grá duit.May the new year bring you joy, success, and love.
- Athbhliain faoi mhaise leat!Happy New Year to you (all)!
Example conversation
Niamh and Oisín meet at a party on January 1st.
- NiamhDia duit, a Oisín! Athbhliain faoi mhaise!Hello, Oisín! Happy New Year!
- OisínGo raibh maith agat, a Niamh. Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit!Thank you, Niamh. Happy New Year to you!
- NiamhAn raibh tú ag an bpáirtí in déanaí?Were you at the party recently?
- OisínBaa, ní raibh mé ann.No, I wasn't there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries athbhliain, faoi, is, CC BY-SA 4.0.
